Nationals Could Shop Ivan Rodriguez

The Nationals are thinking about making Wilson Ramos the Opening Day starter behind the plate, two baseball sources tell Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Ladson writes that if Ramos wins the starting job, then Ivan Rodriguezwould be relegated to the bench or dealt to another team. With Rodriguez out of the picture, Jesus Floreswould presumably be the backup.

With the aforementioned catchers plus prospect Derek Norrisin the fold, the Nationals have seemed willing to move a backstop this winter. Flores drew some interest from the Astros following Jason Castro's potentially season-ending knee injury, but the club quickly cooled on him due to concerns about his surgically repaired shoulder.

If Washington feels comfortable with Ramos as their top catcher, then Rodriguez would be expendable. The 39-year-old is in the final year of a two-year, $6MM deal.